Sleigh Ride
by cutie.pie.9500
Summary: Amy's recieved an early Christmas gift, and when her and Shadow come across each other, she wants to share her gift with him, too! Thing is, will Shadow accept her request for a 'sleigh ride? Mild ShadAmy!


_cute, lil oneshot I had in mind and just had to put it down on paper :P christmas is coming up so why not get excited for the holidays?_

_DISCLAIMER - i dont own any characters in the story, all rights go to sega._

* * *

><p>A small knock on the door of a small cabin in the middle of the forest made a small pink hedgehog run to it excitedly. She had been waiting for this moment to arrive all day. She had been pacing around her cabin anxiously, wondering if it would even show up today. She kept imagining the worst scenarios and was almost convinced that it wasn't going to arrive. But as soon as she heard that small knock, she knew it was here. It had to be. She giggled to herself, just thinking about it made her body tingle with happiness.<p>

Taking a deep breath and letting out a few more giggles, she tried to look calm and mature before opening the door. When she felt ready, she opened the door, letting in the cold winter air whip inside her toasty home.

Outside, stood an old man with a frosty beard dressed in a puffy navy blue jacket. His cheeks and nose were rosy and his glasses contained a little bit of fog. Amy didn't take too much time to absorb in all of his details, and instead, she was drawn immediately to the parcel by his side. Her eyes boggled, resembling that of a small kid in a candy store.

"_Hellooo__" _chimed Amy happily as she beamed at the man.

He smiled and glanced down at the parcel. He reached down and examined the paper that was glued to it. He looked back up at her.

"You must be Amy Rose" he said, a white cloud of mist forming in front of his lips as he spoke.

Amy nodded while rocking on her heels.

He took out a piece of paper from the inside of his pocket, along with a pen. He put the paper on top of the parcel and handed Amy the writing utensil.

"Sign here, please" he instructed and pointed to the line at the bottom of the paper with an X beside it.

She did as she was told and scribbled her name down quickly and messily. She didn't care. She just wanted the package already!

With a nod of approval, he put the paper and pen back in his pocket and handed Amy the package. Amy took it in her arms as if she were cradling a small child.

"Thank you! And have a good Christmas" said Amy and the man tipped his hat at her. She quickly shut the door behind her and jumped up and down happily.

She ran all the way to her living room, slipping a few times. She landed on the green couch safely and sat on her feet. She tore the package open with her small hands removing all the newspaper that hid the prized possession. And finally, there it was. In all of its glory, the wooden red sleigh she had been waiting for the past week.

"Wow…" she murmured as she slowly, and carefully, took it out of its box. It was about half the size of her but it was twice as wide as she was. The sleek varnish on the wood shined brilliantly as she tilted it from side to side. The red runners beneath it extended out with a flawless cut. A long white rope was attached to the front of the sleigh, thick and strong. Amy was not disappointed. It was even _better_ than she expected. She barely noticed a small note attached to it. Her eyes narrowed as she removed it. She smiled when she recognized her relative's handwriting.

_Dear Sweet Little Amy Rose,  
><em>

_I hope you like the sleigh that I bought for you! I was going to give it to you on Christmas, but when I found out I wouldn't be able to make it on that day, I decided to mail it to you instead. I just couldn't wait to send it later, since I know how much you've wanted one. You don't know how many kids have been eyeing that thing in the store front window in town! They must be heartbroken now that it's gone. But at least I know that I gave it to the best granddaughter I have, so I don't feel that guilty. Ha! _

_Lots of hugs and smooches,  
>Grandma Betty<br>_

_P.S. Have a wonderful Christmas!_

Amy smiled, very grateful that her grandma had sent her such a wonderful gift. When she received the call from her a week ago, telling her that she had sent her an early Christmas present because she wouldn't be able to come over, she had nearly jumped for joy. Who didn't like getting presents before you were even supposed to?

Her grandma had hinted what it was, but it didn't occur to her what it actually was until yesterday.

She looked outside her window, into the large hill in the snow cloaked distance. Her smile stretched from ear to ear as she glanced back at her sleigh. Winter was going to be filled with excitement and joy this year.

White shoes that matched the color of the snow crunched softly along the white forest bed. The owner of the shoes had a peaceful expression upon his dark face. Small clouds appeared every time he exhaled as his chest and shoulders rose with every breath.

Walking around with a pure white backdrop made him stand out like a sore thumb, greatly contrasted by his deep black fur. His thick coat of fur ensured warmth and it made the frosty air feel like a cool summer breeze.

Shadow the Hedgehog felt so at ease in the beautiful utopia of winter. With everything frozen, it almost felt as if time itself had frozen.

He took in a deep breath, inhaling the cold air mixed with the scent of the forest. While in tune with his inner self, he was distracted slightly by a faint noise in the distance.

Shadow frowned. He wanted absolute quiet right now. He ears twitched a little higher, trying to detect what it was. His frown softened when he heard with clarity what the noise was. Someone was laughing in the distance, but it wasn't just the noise that made him slightly calmer. It was the _source_of the laughter that made him…a little warmer.

He took his time when he made his way towards the cheerful voice; maybe even took his time to admire the voice.

Finally, the voice guided him to Amy Rose.

He found her sliding down a large slope on a sleigh, her laughter filling the air. Her short quills whizzed past her face, a large smile on plastered on her muzzle, and her jade eyes wide with enjoyment. She was gripping tightly onto the rope with her red mittens and her legs didn't dare move out of the sleigh.

Once the ride was over, she giggled and turned to face Shadow, who stood a few feet away from her. "Hey, Shadow!" she greeted and waved at him.

She got up and brushed some snow of her red coat and shook her boots to get rid of the excess snow. Shadow took a few steps towards her. Her smile had never died down and Shadow had to fight to keep from smiling. It was so contagious.

"Look what I got, Shadow! Isn't it beautiful?" she asked as she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her early Christmas gift.

Shadow nodded and squeezed Amy's hand lightly. "It's very nice, Amy" he told her.

"Yup!" she said proudly as she put her hands on her hips. "I've wanted one for a while now. And it's so much fun, too!" she explained.

Shadow let a very small smile fall onto his lips. Her never-ending happiness radiated from her and it contaminated everyone around her. Even those with frozen hearts, like a certain black hedgehog.

Suddenly, as if a light-bulb appeared on top of her head, she got an idea. "Would _you_ like to go on a sleigh ride it with me, Shadow?" she asked with eager eyes.

Shadow tensed up. This was far too childish for him and certainly _not_his...well…style.

"Amy," he started, but was immediately cut off when Amy heard the tone of his voice.

"Please please please please pleeeeease? With a cherry on top?" she pleaded and gripped onto Shadow's hands. "I promise it'll be fun! And I won't ask for anything else, either" she explained.

"Why don't you ask Cream to play with you?" suggested Shadow.

"She's sick"

"How about Tails?"

"Vacation"

"And Rouge?"

"She's shopping"

"Sonic?" he said, but had to suppress a small growl that rumbled in his throat.

"Does it look like he's here?" she inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Shadow sighed. He gazed into Amy's eyes, finding it harder and harder to resist her. Amy pouted.

"Please?" she murmured.

And that was all it took. "…Alright. But only once" said Shadow.

"Yay!" beamed Amy and flung her arms around Shadow's torso. He stumbled back a step as Amy put all her weight on him. Before he even had time to react, she let go quickly and bent down to grab the rope and began pulling the sleigh. "C'mon then, let's go!"

Shadow's eyes traveled all the way up the hill. It was a pretty big hill and it would take a long time for the little hedgehog to get all the way to the top. He jogged towards Amy, who was already mounting up the hill.

"Save your energy for the ride" he told her and wrapped an arm around her waist.

Before she knew it, Shadow had 'chaos controlled' them to the top of the hill. Amy blinked a couple of times before looking up at Shadow bashfully.

"Thanks" she giggled. "Have you ever been on a sleigh, Shadow?" she suddenly asked.

Shadow shook his head slightly.

Amy gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. "You have no way out in this now, Shadow! You _have_to ride this! I'll let you go in the front, 'cause it's the best part"

Shadow eyed the wooden sleigh before getting on. Surely this couldn't be as exciting as Amy was making it out to be…right?

Remembering what Amy had told him, he took a seat in the front, leaving enough room for the pink hedgehog. She got on and right away wrapped her arms around Shadow's torso, and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"Grab onto the rope" she instructed, and he obeyed.

"_Alright_, here we go!" she announced and kicked her feet behind them, pushing them towards the edge of the hill.

A few seconds later, Shadow and Amy started their sleigh ride. Shadow tensed when he realized that they were going at a fairly quickly speed, but when he heard Amy say "Relax, we'll be fine", he relaxed and leaned back slightly on his friend. The wind rushed past them and bristled through their quills. It was a rush that Shadow enjoyed every time he went running. The ruby eyes were shielded with black eyelids as he let the adrenaline rush through his body.

_This__is__actually__… __fun_thought Shadow to himself.

But then, he heard Amy cease her laughter and a gasp came from behind him.

"We're gonna hit a bump!" she exclaimed and his eyes shot open.

He saw the lump in the snow for a brief second but it wasn't fast enough. The sleigh went up the lump like it was a ramp, making the sleigh and the hedgehogs soar in the air for a few seconds. Shadow clenched on tighter to the rope and he felt Amy tighten her grip on him. When they landed, the sleigh landed on an angle. Shadow couldn't feel Amy's arms anymore, or the sleigh beneath him. Instead, he felt cold and wet.

"Shadow?" he heard Amy call, but it sounded distant. He moved around and finally realized that he was buried deep in the snow. He grabbed the fluffy snow in his hands and pushed it behind him, trying to climb out. Amy must have seen where Shadow was because Shadow felt a hand touch grab his. He used it as a support and managed to poke his head out of the pile of snow.

He blinked and finally met a staring hedgehog. She had a worried look on her face, but it quickly morphed into a small, suppressed smile. She covered her mouth, trying to hide her laughter but Shadow heard her.

He pulled himself out of the pile, finally, and shook the clinging snow off of his fur. Amy had made her way towards him and helped him by running her hands through his fur, taking whatever he missed.

"That wasn't supposed to happen…" she said in a small voice, but Shadow could tell she was smiling.

Shadow sighed. "I know"

"…I know you didn't want to do this. I'm sorry I even asked" he heard her say. He turned to her and saw that she was looking down at her boots sadly with her ears folded back.

He never liked it when she was upset. It felt as if she wasn't happy, then no one else should be either.

"I did agree to do this, didn't I? So doesn't that mean that perhaps I _wanted_to do this?" asked Shadow with a playful smirk on his face.

Amy's ears folded back up and her eyes traveled to Shadow's. "Really?" she asked with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"Really"

Amy's smile returned as if nothing ever happened and she jumped on Shadow. She buried her face in his shoulder while he held onto her tightly. "Thank you" she murmured against his dark fur. Her warm breath made a small shiver travel up and down his spine. He simply held on to her for another second before placing her back on the ground.

"Well, since ya liked it so much, we'll go again! Hopefully we won't hit another bump this time" she exclaimed while running to go fetch the sleigh.

Shadow chuckled lightly to himself. How could he say no to her?

Shadow and Amy took various trips down the hill. Shadow couldn't believe how Amy could never get tired of riding the sleigh. But Shadow didn't mind.

Sleigh rides with her would only be with her, and her only.

_** FIN **_


End file.
